US bars Mashantucket Pequot tribal official from dealings

The treasurer for the tribe that owns and operates the Foxwoods Resort Casino has been barred from doing business with the U.S. government, nearly five months after his indictment on federal theft charges.

The treasurer for the tribe that owns and operates the Foxwoods Resort Casino has been barred from doing business with the U.S. government, nearly five months after his indictment on federal theft charges.

The Department of the Interior this week declared Steven Thomas ineligible to enter into government contracts for at least one year, according to a website for federal procurement systems. It said the finding was based on evidence of a lack of honesty or integrity.

It was not immediately clear what impact the decision could have on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which operates the casino on sovereign tribal land in southeastern Connecticut. The debarment applies only to Thomas, but it prevents him from being in a position to handle or influence the spending of federal grant money.

Thomas and his brother, former tribal chairman Michael Thomas, were indicted in January on charges that they stole more than $800,000 from the tribe. Each has pleaded not guilty.

Steven Thomas, 38, is accused of stealing more than $700,000 between 2005 and 2008, when he was assistant director of the tribe's natural resources department.

On the day the indictments were returned, the tribal council said it was confident in Steven Thomas' dedication to his duties as a tribal council member. The tribe and an attorney for Thomas did not immediately respond to requests for comment for Wednesday.

The federal procurement site describes Thomas' ineligibility as "preliminary" pending further proceedings.

Like other tribes with federal recognition, the Pequots qualify for federal grant programs to boost health and economic development among members. The latest available documents show that the Interior Department and the Department of Health and Human Services provide more than $4.5 million annually to the tribe.